HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Our sample size is just two games, so we know our science is a bit limited in this latest theory on how to cure what ails the Los Angeles Lakers (if that is indeed still possible).

Twice this season Kobe Bryant has finished games with 11 or more assists and the Lakers are 2-0 in those games, including Friday night’s trouncing of the Utah Jazz, and won by a combined 29 points.

Even for the math-challenged members of our hoops tribe, that essentially means a giving (assists) Kobe is much more beneficial to the Lakers than a taking (shots) Kobe. He only had 10 shot attempts in the win over the Jazz to go along with his season-high 14 assists, one shy of his career-high set in (wait for it) 2002.

Kobe’s near triple-double in the win over the Jazz inspired some interesting praise/feedback from Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni (above), who described the performance as Kobe “playing the right way.”

Even Bryant admitted as much (via Twitter):

“@ImJustSam_: @kobebryant you should pass more often bro”u know what? In this situation, I think u r 100% right

But will he be able to resist his scorer’s instincts every night for the good of the rest of the team? That remains to be seen. This afternoon’s matinée against the Oklahoma City Thunder (3:30 p.m. on ABC) will provide our first glimpse into whether or not Friday night’s game was just a temporary statistical anomaly or if it is indeed a fresh and new approach to things for the man called Mamba.

Bryant’s 10 shot attempts also tied a season low, but by limiting his shots, it spread out opportunities to Dwight Howard, who was 8 of 12 from the floor for 17 points, after totaling just 19 shots combined during the Lakers’ four-game losing streak entering Friday.

“I think for a lot of bigs, when we’re fed and we eat a little bit, we’re happy,” Howard said on Saturday. “Just like men. Give us some food, we’re good. We don’t eat, we’re grumpy.”

Howard said Bryant’s adjustment on offense helped not just him, but the entire team.

“We have to play for each other to win,” Howard said. “All of us have to sacrifice part of who we are, part of who we’ve been, especially on the offensive end for the team. Still bring the same kind of energy, but we have to figure out a way to all put it together. I’m sure everybody on this team wants to be the guy to score, make plays and all that stuff, but we have to figure out ways to do it together. If you get everybody else involved early and throughout the game, it just makes it tough for teams to guard.

“(Bryant) did a great job of that (Friday) night. When he plays that way, it makes it tough for teams because he’s passing. He’s throwing lobs. He’s picking the defense apart. Now he can get the chance to go one-on-one, where he’s dangerous.”

After the game on Friday, Bryant told reporters that the passing plan was premeditated.

“I tried to make a real concerted effort to force the game upon my teammates a little bit and just have them play with confidence,” Bryant said. “Even the shots that are not going in, just try to push it on them a little bit.”

If Facilitator Kobe was as deliberate as we’re being told it should be easy to recognize against the Thunder, who will no doubt challenge Kobe’s ego in a matchup against two of the league’s other elite scorers in Thunder All-Stars Kevin Durant and Russel Westbrook, who much like Bryant has never met a shot attempt he couldn’t justify one way or another.

As much as D’Antoni and others would have led us to believe that Steve Nash (and not Kobe) would serve as the director of on-court operations for this team, we’ve seen enough now to know better than that. As long as he draws breath in a Lakers uniform, this is Kobe’s team and only Kobe’s team.

And we are talking about a player, in Kobe, who hasn’t exactly given up the ball at a record clip in the name of the greater good. Per ESPN Stats & Information, Friday night’s game marked just the fourth time in his 17-year career that Kobe played 30 or minutes and finished a game with more assists than field goal attempts.

Stunner, the Lakers are 3-1 in those games.

Again,we’re working with a terribly small sample size. But there’s a Hollywood saying that dates back decades, one that is regurgitated from time to time when convenient and appropriate, that might apply in this case.

132 Comments

So it turns out Kobe has been chasing the wrong guy all this time. It wasn’t MJ, but “”MAGIC”‘ he should have been runnin’ after. After all he and Magic are both Lakers, not Bulls. When the jerseys hang in the rafters, they will be side by side @ Staples, not the United center in Chi town.

Time to break this team up. The La Fakers are done. Their fans are living in the past. Time to rebuild. Trade Gasol and Nash for expiring contracts. They are too old and their careers are over. Trade Howard to the Bobcats or the Wizards for a first round pick or picks. He will leave this summer anyway so get something for him before its too late. Finally amnesty Bryant. He is way too old and is pitiful now. In fact he was the most selfish and overrated player of all time. He did not just ride Shaq’s coatails in the Phil Jackson era, he rode Shaq’s bridal gown train! Now he is upset that Howard can’t bail him out the way Shaq did or D’Antoni can’t make him look like less of a ballhog then Phil did. He needs a dominate superstar to do all of the hard work so he can take all of the credit. That is the only way he can contribute to a team, before he got old at least. Now his career is over and the Fakers need to cut their losses and just amnesty him. Rebuild with draft pics around Earl Clark and Robert Sacre with D’Antoni as the longterm coach. Stop living in the past. The Fakers are done.

you people don’t realized this if you give the ball to howard comes winning time the lakers will lose because the defensive player will simply just foul him… the result is they will lose the game because of howard poor free throw shotting.. another one in jordan’s time the rules are different… there is illegal defense in jordan’s time which benefits him a lot cause he can drive to the basket more easier compared to now that zone defense is allowed the result is more difficult for the offensive player to penetrate to the basket….

It’s Fools Gold! The offense needs to run through Nash, he can create and get guys WIDE open shots. Kobe does a LOT of jumping in the air to get his open man running to the basket and that will not always be there. Lets see how well it works when they hit the road for 7 games.

@Joshua Greenfarb! Have you ever heard of a man named Wilt Chamberlain?? If you want to talk about raw scoring, HE was the best!! And in Kobe Bryant’s rookie year he came off the bench on a stacked Laker team! And for you to say that Michael Jordan would not only outplay Kobe Bryant but obliterate him indicates to me that you are just a TROLL!!!! Keep looking at the back of your sports cards for stats!! LOL!

What do you know…Kobe stops shooting and the Lakers start winning…Elementary my people!!!! The more Kobe shoots, the less other players touch the ball…Kobe takes a lot of crazy shots and misses a lot…Of course, some will find the basket.

For all those who haven’t seen MJ played, watch some of the greatest games he was featured on, then you will say WOW!
You think he got no better rivals during his time? Try this, Larry Bird, Dominique Wilkins, Magic Johnson, to name a few.
I’m a Lakers fan since the late 80’s, and I like Kobe too for being one of the greats of all time but no one is better than MJ, not Kobe, Lebron, KD.

Ima jumo on this kobe mj talk..
People keep saying kobe will never compare to mj. Kobe is one ring away from tying him, n he’s had two different teams to work with. Dont get me wrong, mj is the one who set the bar, but if anyone can compare to his success, it can be kobe. Kibe just has to see that much of jordans’s success was making his teamates better, but its hard to see when his way gets him rigs with a differet core of players

If KOBE takes the form of MAGIC J, The LAKERS ===> SHOW TIME!!!. I liked it when he said, he is adjusting for the team. Keep healthy Kobe! GENEROUS KOBE is okay because LA has NASH, MWP, D12, GASOL, ANTAWN J, JODIE M, E CLARK and EVERYBODY is there. I think the formula is effective!

To all those people who thinks that basketball was easy 15 years ago are still feeding from mommy,
the fact is Ive seen the change, and you would have to be an Idoit say Jordan or eneny other
player had it easy when your taking reb shots for driving to the basket or player holding your arms
when trying to shot, ask Kobe he played then and now and the truth is that players are spoiled now.
Imean you cant even hand check and Jordan had it easy LTFOL

This is the Kobe i’ve been waiting for all season…. The Lakers supporting cast is terrific and everyone knows that it’s potentially one of the most efficient teams on paper. Kobe will become more confident in his new team mates the more involved he allows them to be. When i watched Kobe drive the lane against OKC and dish off to Howard and then again to Clark, both plays leading to easy dunks i was really impressed. They’re so potent in the paint with their bigs… Dwight, Gasol and now Clark stepping up. They need to keep this going. Another play watching Kobe find Nash for the open three was good to see too…. Overall, the stat sheet shows a near perfect effort for the Lakers… Even scoring across the whole team, everyone getting involved and beating OKC should be a tremendous confident boost. I’d much rather see Kobe with 20 points and near triple double and everyone else scoring the ball, than Kobe scoring 30 or 40 and another loss. Keep it going Lakers!

As good as Kobe is and as good as Jordan is their different players. Even Lebron James is a different player. Kobe only takes 20% or less of his shots inside when he goes inside he in close to unstoppable but it is not his nature. Jordan on the other hand was like 80-90% inside dominant. No one could out play Jordan going to the hoop it is what made him a legend. With that said Lebron is a great all around player no question about it. I do not think in his prime versus Kobe or Jordan he would beat them inside. As a overall teammate he might get the nod over both players because he consistently contributes to all aspects of the game. The rings however do weigh against Lebron and rightfully so you cannot call a one time champion better than a five time or six time champion its ridiculous, disrespectful, and a zillion percent false. As a all around player however Lebron is not better than Magic Johnson was. Magic played very similar to Lebron always flirting with triple doubles but he won rings against legends mind you. Until Lebron wins 4-5 rings he does not belong in this conversation it is an insult to NBA history.

For all those that say today’s top players (lbj, kobe, melo, wade, Durant etc) are better than Jordan. Consider this when you make those ludacris comments. Jordan played when the rules were VERY different. They ALLOWED hand checking, they had less defensive restriction on the ball on the ball out on the perimeter. Just ask Kenny smith what Derrick Harper did to all through games 1-6 in the 93 finals to him defensively. Jordan had defensive bullies whose soul purpose was to stop him. The pistons basically put a bounty on him (Jordan rules). Teams focused entire defensive strategies towards stoping this one man. He could score on ANYONE. And as he got better he found his teammates to utilize, just ask the 91 lakers about that. Don’t get it twisted by the remembering wizards version of Jordan (who was pretty damn good for 40 yrs old on a terrible team). Today’s players are great in their own regard but the eras are completely different. I don’t think any of these guys would of survived the pistons that beat Jordan’s bulls with punishing defense. There to used to being protected and to a certain degree soft as cotton because the league protects its “superstars” a little different today to the point where if you breath on some of these guys it’s a foul. They only let them really play to a degree in the playoffs when and that’s when the men should come out and the boys go home anyway.

It’s an interesting strategy — have Kobe defend the point, take less than 16 shots, act as a facilitator for the bigs and Nash…in a way, that’s was the whole philosophy of the triangle, where everyone was a facilitator, but Kobe always interpreted it in a way (or disregarded it completely) that he ended up being the main shooter. With Pau leading the second unit at least the first can rest without feeling the game slip away in the course of 2 minutes. Funny thing is, D’Antoni didn’t call it, Kobe did. I guess in the end you just have to figure things out for yourself.

How those Lakers took care of the “Funder blumpers” in Laker land today!! Where was Westbrook?? OKC’s young ones needed this lesson. Thunder has a terrible “attitude” and this loss is a very good lesson. One can always be replaced and No matter how great you are today, well tomorrow you could end up like R.Rondo? I Like OKC, but terrible attitude!!! Needed this lesson, it just may help OKC in playoffs!!! One can get just “too full of themself”. Yes, a very great team, and could win it all, but their attitude stinks. Maybe it is an age problem! Pouting and stomping, is NOT for Adult basketball players. That is for KIDS! OKC took a good lesson from the older guys in Laker land today!!! Been saying they were just too full of their own greatness! Today proved, anyone can LOSE! Time for OKC to GROW UP!

There you have it folks, Kobe as a facilitator proves he’s even more deadlier than not sharing so now will the haters still call him Ball hog yes, they will find every excuses from comparison to greatness of Jordan and other stars like Durant and James to the refs aiding them winning games when clearly it’s simple Kobe is a great player sharing the ball, trusting his teammates and taking smart shots which led to a win over OKC the team with the best record in the league now The Lakers are playing like the Lakers…..Lakers All Day Everyday

Kobe a facilitator? well he could have a way more succesful career if he had that type of mentality. His whole career he was a selfish 45% shoot jacking ballhog, When he shares the ball and he is not chasing the 30+ points clearly he is being alot more effective and that shows what? that Kobrick is a proven MJ wannabe who never plays like he should and never tried to create his own identity in his game every move he makes is MJs not the real Kobe, he wasted his whole career trying to imitate the best scorer ever cause of his big ego.

another stupid hater… He won 5 w/c is more than enough… LBJ the all around that he is got 1 but right after joining fellow superstars D-wade & Bosh… Kobe will never be on Jordan’s level even if he wins 6th & 7th rings. But 5 is more than enough & far better than a facilitator LBJ…

Remember what Kobe said, he clamoured for everyone to just shut up! That at the end the Lakers would be right there. I think he’s taking action and letting the numbers and the Ws do the talking now. As well as being the team leader and demonstrating why after 17 years he is still considered one of the most cerebral and best players in the game today.
The most clutch player the game has ever seen, ice in the veins, any team Killah.

Kobe Bryant is a prisoner of someone else’s legacy (MJ), he’s trying to be like him but he will never be. Just do it by yourself and stop copying Michael Jordan’s way and for sure you will bring your name into the right way. MJ is a miles away and stop chasing his legacy because you will never reach what he achieved, accept the fact and reality.

Gee, it only took 17 years to figure this out?
His ego will absolutely not allow this mindset to continue.
As much as he claims he wants to win first, time will again show his true colors as a selfish player above the team.
It’s a travesty to mention this guy in the same sentence as the Big O – the epitome of a team player who played right his entire career, every game.
He’ll probably get into a shooting match tonight against OKC, and playing the right way will turn into hero ball again, mark my words.

@patty, Well. he’s right. it took kobe 17 years and lebron 5 years to learn that sharing the ball so everyone is involved will get wins for the team. of course they won the thunder just not too long ago today and kobe dished the ball out again. but this is only two games compared to the other 1202 games of his career. i think he will continue to hog the ball in the near future because he’ll just merely get bored of having to share the ball to win, because he never had to actually share to win because his other teams he’s been on has been able to score withoutt him sharing the ball much. he’ll start thinking something like “i never had to share the ball to win before, so i’m not going to start now.” i’m not a kobe hater, but his personality is where he just wants to beat you one-on-one. he might prove me wrong, and i wouldn’t mind at all, i would be happy for him as a player and person, but i doubt he will prove me (or just about everyone else except laker fans) wrong. and you’re a bandwagon by the way Patty, stop trying to make the words huge to mae it look like you’re a laker fan. you’re a kobe fan, not a laker fan, i have never liked a team just because a certain person is on it. i liked the blazers when they only won 21 games, and i never cared about cleveland when they won 66 games even though i like lebron. and i liked miami before they got lebron and bosh, and had a losing record.

gee, it took him 17 years to figured that out? this is funny! because he already won 5 rings w/ his ballhogging ways. So how would you explain that? Kobe & Lakers won 2 in a row w/ being a facilitator but it’s not a guaranteed ring at the end. So how m any rings did LBJ win as a facilitator compared to Kobe’s ballhogging? Learn the facts & not re;y on hates b’coz he isn’t your fav player. & be precise w/ your stats. Kobe never in his 17 years career average 30 shots a game. MJ had more attemts in his carrer & even LBJ. You’re one of those stupid morons who knew nothing about NBA.

BRILLIANT MOVE KOBE! :) it was amazing watching the LAKERS with KOBE being MAGIC in the game! :) KEEP IT UP and KEEP THE INTENSITY and NO DOUBT LAKERS to BECOME UNBEATABLE! and…. STEVE NASH!!! KEEP DRAINING THOSE SHOTS!! ;)

Long as Dwight Howard keeps playing like a little girl, they’ll NEVER win a championship with him. He’s had his time (to rest up for his back surgery) while the rest of the team babysits him. Now is a good time as any for Howard to grow a set and earn the pretty Lakers swag he always wears. Kobe, Nash, Gasol and World Peace are all putting up incredible numbers for him. Shaq and Kenny are right – its not an issue of kobe sharing, but an effort to do everything to get Howard to contribute

The right way will last how long cause when the team faces top contenders will they have confidence to make those shots or will Kobe have to put the team on his back once again ? Kobe as a facilitator always been helpful to the Lakers in the past but it makes me wonder isn’t that Nash job as a PG to distribute the ball around then again with the turnovers he’s having lately and can barely play defense vs top guards like the CP3, Jennings, Curry and so forth; I suppose Kobe might as well be the PG, as far as Dwight Howard just play less smiling if you’re still injured then let Gasol start. I’m sick of excuses from the injuries, coaching system and executing plays on both ends of the court. We got talented players on the team let’s fix what needs to be resolve, utilize our skills to our advantages and bring home the win plain and simple…..Lakers all day everyday

i cant believe professional basketball players can be so sensitive about playing good defence only if they give offence touches……. kobe still getting a percentage of the lakers makes well maybe everyone will make kobe a 40 point scorer now and not double him lol

Lakers finally stoped playing DAntoni run and gun style. Lakers slowed down and controlled the tempo, leading to back to back wins. With DAntoni out of the way and K24 showing his all around game, the Lakers have something they can build on and work their way into the playoffs. We have some sub-500 teams coming up, so Lakers can put a string of wins together and get back into contention. Go Lakers, thats the way! Go Lakers..

They’re going to find that when NBA teams play for real, they’re going to struggle mightily coming down the stretch of this season. Speed and athleticism they lack. They’re too one-dimensional and too slow. Even if a miracle happens and they somehow make the playoffs, they will get crushed in the first round — elite teams would have an easy first round against the Lakers. They can concentrate on the next round.

you guys are wack if you actually WATCH the games you see that most of the times that Kobe gets the ball for all those tough shots is when a play breaks down so then they toss the ball to Kobe and expect him to bail them out
do people even realize how poorly dwight was shooting during the past 4 games he couldn’t hit anything and all his shots are high percentage he isnt the one having to take double+triple teams and hitting all those fadeaways
another reason i wouldn’t want Dwight taking all those shots is he can’t hit freethrows so all the apposing teams have to do if foul him hard and send him to the line for air-balls
Kobe has 5 rings, 2 finals MVP, 15 straight all star games + Much More compared to all that lebron and dwight are just entering the party
P.S he is shooting 47% from the floor, 30 ppg, 5 apg, 5 rpg

Also people have been raging about the couple straight poor shooting nights he had but they forget he was having to guard the other teams best guards like ELiis, Jennings and Wade + avg 43 MPG in that stretch and also having to score thts an impossible thing to ask for someone his age and all those career minutes with regular seasons + looooong playoff runs

But Schuhmann will argue Kobe will soon be “regressing to the mean.” HAHAHAHAHA!!

He can’t put up numbers like this for the rest of the season. He’s already regressing to the mean.

NBA teams need to understand they don’t need to double-team Kobe anymore. Just guard him one-on-one. Stop being foolish and leaving players wide open. Play smart. Unless, of course, it’s not your fault. It’s that sometimes teams don’t play for real against the LA FAKERS. Why? I think I know why. ;-)

Kobe might be one of the best SGs ever but his selfish game and MJ wannabe attitude will always hurt his efficiency and his game, he gotta accept it that he will never be nowhere near the best scorer of all time cause thats the cold truth, Kobe plays proper efficient team basket ball when he is a 20ppg player,but no he wants 35ppg average like MJ… he is nowhere near MJs efficient insane scoring ability, no matter how hard he tries he will never get there cause he has to shoot the ball 30+ times and hurt his team, thats one of the main reasons Kobe is not a Top 10 player of all time and will never be.

You make an interesting point but understand, Jordan and Kobe are two different player, Two different games, i doubt that Kobe ever thinks about Mike at this point in his game aside from Rings, Kobe Bryant is one of the most skilled scorers ever to play the game, yet he has always been more of a jump shoot and a better Jump shooter than Mike, but Jordan is a better finisher and contact player. (Plays more within the paint.) There both great Just completely different players, with similar skills.

they won cuz the referring was so one sided for the lakers. i know youll say a 20 point game isnt the refs fault. but it is in my opinion. referring has such a big impact. there was the point where it was a 3 point game then you get like 3 wrong calls in a row that go the lakers way totally changed the momentum and from there utah couldnt get it back. i hate refs

Stop talking about the offense, it’s the DEFENSE that does’nt work. Offense has been great this season, albeit maybe not up to it’s full potential but still great none the less. The defense has been disasterous. Rotations are very weak and so is the ball pressure and pick and roll defense.

They need to stop writing about the Lakers for at least a week on here. They have their own website for that. Never before in my life have I seen a 10th-place team written about so much. Who is 10th in the East? Detroit. Are they written about at all? No. Guess that proves who NBA.com’s favorite team is.

Your an idiot, and thats an understatment… Maybe Detroit isnt talked about so much becuase they are not a big market team like the Lakers… Ofcourse LA is going to be discussed no matter what. The history of LA’s success and the fact that this is a MAJOR upset makes this self explanitory as to why they are still talked about so much even though thier record doesnt reflect many wins… So this has nothing to do with whom NBA.com’s favorite team is, moron.

Well, once the Lakers fail this season and next season and the season after that and the season after that … they’ll finally fall below the radar and won’t get this much media attention anymore.

To give the Lakers some credit (due to winning a lot in the last few years), that’s partly why they get so much attention. But … every franchise has to go through rebuilding stages at some points … and the Lakers’ turn for that is RIGHT NOW.

I believe I can see the future … as I repeat the same routine. I think I used to have a purpose … then again, it might’ve been a dream. I think I used to have a voice; now, I never make a sound. I just do what I’ve been told. I don’t think I want them to come around, oh no. Every Day is Exactly the Same. Every Day is Exactly the Same. There is no love here, and there is no pain. Everyday is Exactly the Same.

Live in the past cause that’s all you LA FAKER fans have left. Apparently, I was right. Dwight Howard WAS FAKING an injury!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh sure, Howard will play if his team has a chance to win; but if not, he’ll find some way to get himself booted from the game, even if it means faking an injury and taking the rest of the night off.:-D

This team needs PGS/SGS who can shot and rebound the ball. The guards coming off the bench cannot put the ball in the basket look at their record before and now. Start Clark and have Pau off the bench. Get another SF and a Defensive guard. Nash cannot defense elite guards of other teams

This is why kobe has been gaurding point gaurds just like today, he made westbrook only make 1 shot in the first half. If the opposing team has a horrific shooting gaurd like kevin martin, its perfect to have nash on him lol…. Some people like you have no idea on basketball. This team is 100 % built, They lack chemistry and TRUST!!!!!!!!!!! If the negativity with the lakers players disappears, there dangerous. 1 game at a time and they WILL BECOME 2013 NBA CHAMPIONS.

Lol!!! NBA chumps, you meant. The Lakers are going nowhere!! You guys are like little babies. You win two games and all of the sudden you will be champs….Just like you predicted the Lakers would be unstoppable…hahhaha

It’s difficult for players to feel involved and play hard when they feel they will never touch the ball. So Kobe being less aggressive will help every Laker play better. That’s just common basketball sense.

lakers playing with effort will givethe better chanceas a ream..kb’s effort not enough when the two bigs are lazy as dog….Utah game is the first time i saw Pau getting agressive when he gets the ball and D12 with the best effort so far with no silly fouls and TOs…He is not a threat in the post but lobs are the best way we he can score coz FT for him is like a TO.

Kobe can be a tripple double threat on any given night. He is mostly known for being the deadliest one on one scored, but is capable of putting up big numbers all around. Great job Kobe, as well as the Lakers bigs. Lets Go Lakers..

I hope you’re old enough to have seen MJ play. I grew up watching both them. Kobe Bryant’s a great player, but Jordan was truly unstoppable. You had full confidence whenever he touched the ball. You just don’t have that sort of confidence with Bryant’s shot making abilities. There is simply nobody in the league right now that can match Jordan’s ability to score.

Goodness, how did MJ get those shots??Like C.Anthony/Amare???ONLY with HELP! Yes, MJ could score, but so can so many other great shooters. I watched MJ, good yes, in todays time?NOT! Cannot compare years back to the way the NBA is played today. MJ, long gone and NO he could not out play Kobe Bryant!! NOR, Kevin Durant! (did I say Kevin Durant??Got to be losing my marbles)!Kevin Durant??THAT LITTLE HOT HEAD???!!!

I think KD has a pretty god shot 53% from the field already has 3 scoring titles and leads the league now. Although I am a huge LBJ fan I really do think KD has a shot and may be LeBron in terms of scoring.

If I recall (when I used to collect sports cards) … Michael Jordan (in his earliest NBA years) had entire seasons where he averaged around 30 – 37 PPG. That’s right. I believe he had one season where he AVERAGED 37 points per game.

He would not only outplay Bryant (if he was in his prime); he would obliterate Bryant.

Jordan is probably the only player in NBA history to have a 37 PPG clip for an entire season. That is remarkable. He obviously did more than just score … but you get the point I’m trying to make.

Plus, Bryant was awful in his first 2 NBA seasons, right? Jordan immediately had an impact, averaging 30+ PPG in his rookie and sophomore NBA seasons. If I recall correctly from looking at stats on the backs of sports cards when I was a kid.

Lebron yes but MJ is no conversation. However, I respect your opinion. I guarantee if you watch past Bulls games, especially playoffs, you will see who is better. Mike never lost a finals and has one Finals MVP with every ring, and has 10 scoring titles. Kobe is the closest to Mike in this 2k era but threre will never be another Mike and Kobe knows this. 99.99% of his game is from Mike.

This is a small part of the win. I’m pretty sure the largest contributor of the latest win was from the strong defense we saw coming from Metta, Pau, Dwight, and Kobe. They were rebounding effectively and they were making constant stops.

good job kobe bryant…. I’m not your critic now…. that’s what im always commenting… ballhug… but in your last game against Utah… ur so great lifting ur teammates to step up… keep it up ang Lakers will get a slot in playoffs…